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Point, set and match. Quality never goes out of style but what price can you afford to pay for quality? Productivity is still the name of the game. How do you produce more for less? How do you produce a product in sufficient quantity and quality at a price that the end user is willing to pay for, so that you get to recover all your costs and still make a profit?
Michael L. George in his book, Lean Six Sigma: Combining Six Sigma Quality with Lean Speed, tries to explain to the reader how to trim the fat out of your organization (lean) and the steps you need to take to implement a process (Six Sigma) that will have you produce a product that fits the wants and needs of your customer and satisfies all the stakeholders at the same time.
Dr. W. Edwards Deming had it right. Quality does make a difference. It's unfortunate in some respects that the Author, Michael L. George doesn't devote a whole chapter to Deming in this book. Without Deming would there be Six Sigma? Without Deming would there be an ISO9000 +? Without Alexander Graham Bell would there be fax machines or cell phones?
I am a businessperson first and a college professor second. Quality is important to the end user. Cost is always relevant. Yes, the spin offs from producing a quality product do significantly impact the bottom line. Less waste, less defects, improved customer perception, increased productivity, increased sales potential, etc. etc. But what price can you afford to pay for quality? This book does a marvellous job in bringing these two concepts together. How to produce a quality product at an affordable price.
TQM like Six Sigma starts with the customer in mind. Quality is based on the perception of the end user. The first challenge for any organization is to figure out who their customers are. What customer demographic does your product appeal too? What wants and needs does your product or services satisfy? What benefits do your customers want to get out of your product? Is there a particular feature they want? What features are they willing to pay for or not pay for? What retail price is the end user willing to pay for your product or service? What intangibles like warranty, follow-up service, help desk, etc. can you include that will add value to your product?
After you've answered all those questions go out and buy this book. It is well researched and written in a language that everyone can understand. It will help you to decide how to go about delivering on what your customer values most and still make a big enough return on that investment, so that you get to do it all over again. After all, isn't that why you went into business in the first place?
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